The present invention is directed at improving upon previously existing combination locking mechanisms. An example of a prior art type combination locking assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,743. This locking assembly included several advantages over previous locking assemblies. The improved combination setting assembly and corresponding structure enabled simplified combination settings for a relatively complex locking assembly. Further, the push buttons of the combination mechanism had substantially the same feel whether the selected number was a correct or incorrect number. The assembly also enabled the use of a single digit for repeated use in a selected combination.
However, this prior art locking assembly, although an improvement over previous attempts in this field, included several disadvantages of design. Firstly, the combination setting sequence was still comparatively difficult owing to the physically small parts comprising the combination setting assembly. Also, the combination assembly was comprised of a large (numerically) stack of combination setting leaves of very small cross section. Even small variances in the manufactured tolerances of the assembly pieces might have resulted in difficulty of operation and resultant shortened durability of the lock.